Ukiah City Council OKs ending ambulance services

After minimal discussion and even less public comment, the Ukiah City Council Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to have the Ukiah Fire Department stop providing ambulance services.

"We're spending more money than we have," Public Safety Director/Ukiah Police Chief Chris Dewey said, explaining that the city has been losing an average of $200,000 a year for the past 10 years, and the $250,000 loss anticipated this year "doesn't include the overtime we'll be paying."

The city is paying a large amount of overtime to the nine healthy members of the UFD, given that two of the 12 positions are vacant and one staff member is on extended leave due to an injury.

Rather than continuing to provide ambulance service and hospital transportation, Dewey is recommending that the city respond only with paramedics on a fire engine, which he said has the same life-saving equipment as an ambulance.

"I'm not suggesting at all that we get out of the ALS paramedic service -- that's really important for our community," Dewey said.

Dewey said one of the concerns brought up during a workshop in October was "what kind of ambulance service would be provided to our community if we move forward with this plan," and Dewey asked two representatives from the agency to speak to that.

The representatives said that because both Ukiah Ambulance and VeriHealth are serving the Ukiah Valley, as well as the UFD, "we have an abundance of (ambulance) resources in Ukiah currently."

Paramedics provide ALS services, which include administering medication, and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) provide Basic Life Support services, such as bandaging wounds and administering CPR. The system Dewey is proposing would have six people, a mix of paramedics and EMTs, responding to calls in the city and valley.

Council member Mari Rodin said right now, four paramedics are responding to calls in the City of Ukiah, so "if we go to this new system, are we reducing the level of care?"

The agency representatives gave the example of a patient in an emergency room who is being treated by a doctor assisted by nurses and techs, "and that having four doctors instead of one (aided by nurses and techs) wouldn't necessarily give you better care."

In the past when the idea of ending the ambulance service was discussed, several members of the public spoke out against the plan. At this meeting, only one person spoke in support of it.

"My advice is to take it from the chief himself," said J.R. Rose. "I hope you really take their recommendation to heart."

"Despite the many rational reasons why we should move forward, it is emotional and difficult to give up the sense of security having an ambulance right here in the city provided," Rodin said, adding that she would support the plan.

The council then voted unanimously to allow Dewey to move forward with it.

Justine Frederiksen can be reached at udjjf@pacific.net, on Twitter @JustFrederiksen or at 468-3521.